Harry and Ginny: A Love Story
Chapter 22: After The Talk
Ginny could tell Harry was getting quite emotional, but it was a mostly positive one, mixed with a touch of melancholy.
"Are you okay, Harry?" she sent, a little concerned.
"Yeah, Ginny, I'm fine, really," he sent back.
"Okay, I was just a little worried, I'm feeling quite a few emotions coming from you, that's all."
"Yeah, well Dad and I had a nice talk besides the other stuff and though he's really great and all, I still miss my own," Harry sent, letting Ginny feel his conflicting emotions even clearer.
"You called him Dad," Ginny sent feeling surprised.
"Yeah, it is a little strange still but Dad is a pretty exceptional man and since mine is dead, I don't think I could have picked a finer one to call one. Though I'll always miss my own Mum and Dad, I have a pretty good second team."
Ginny knew that Harry wasn't considering them as filling his own parent's roles, just stepping in where he needed some one to step in and help.
"I bet Dad was pretty choked up about it, wasn't he?" Ginny asked, pleasantly.
"What happened out there in the shed is between Dad and me, if he wishes to share that's his prerogative, but I'm sworn to secrecy. Do you want to tell me all about your talk with your Mum?"
Ginny wasn't surprised by the fact that Harry still referred to Molly as her Mum, even she wasn't pleased with her yet, so it was no wonder that Harry was still harbouring some resentment.
"If you come out back real quick, I'll share some of my butterbeer with you," Harry sent playfully.
"You'd better save some for me, or else buster!" Ginny sent in mock anger, but she could tell Harry wasn't fooled, her emotions just didn't match the tone she was sending.
"Excuse me, Mum and Aunt Minerva, Harry would like to see me for a few moments," Ginny said, rising and heading for the door. She hurried outside, trying desperately to not seem so to her Mum and McGonagall, but she knew she probably hadn't succeeded by the low laughter she heard behind her.
She almost ran straight into her dad as she rushed out the door and he had to steady her so she wouldn't fall. "Easy there Spitfire, he went down to the garden out back. Don't hurt yourself rushing to get there, okay?" Arthur said with a smile.
"Yes Dad," she said, as she blushed a little.
Arthur nodded and watched as Ginny hurried away, smiling at the thought of how in love she and Harry seemed.
XX HP + GW XX
Ron and Hermione were sitting in the parlour, Ron a bit wide-eyed and Hermione with a smirk on her face.
"Twenty-five Galleons, Hermione, Twenty-five," Ron said in awe.
"Yes I know Ron, that's only about the twelfth time you've said it and it's only been less that an hour," she said, shaking her head amusingly.
"But Twenty-five Galleons, Hermione. You just don't understand, I've never had more than a couple at one time on my own," Ron said, looking at Hermione like she just wasn't understanding him.
"What's the matter. Do they burn a hole in your pocket?" Hermione asked seriously.
Ron looked at her aghast, "Should I have Mum put a spell on my pockets so they won't burn through?" he asked earnestly.
Hermione shook her head, "No Ron, what I'm saying is some people never have any money because as soon as they get some they spend it all, usually on something they don't really need, or something wasteful," she tried to explain.
"But aren't Galleons for spending and buying stuff?" Ron asked a bit perplexed.
Hermione sighed and knew she was going to have her hands full trying to explain this to Ron. "Well, yes Ron, but sometimes it's better to keep some or most for awhile so you have it when you really need something important, understand?"
Ron had a questioning look on his face that was contorted a little in thought.
Hermione tried desperately to think of something that he could relate to. "Quidditch!" she thought to herself.
"Look Ron, you just got new Quidditch gloves last year, right?" she asked directly.
"Well, yeah," he replied hesitantly, "What's that got to do with anything?"
"Quidditch gloves wear out, don't they?" she asked.
Ron nodded, "Yeah even with anti-wear charms on them they last only three or four years playing around her with the family,, Fred and George who are on Gryffindor's team wear them out much quicker," he replied, still wondering what she was driving at.
""Right and how long does it usually take to save up and buy a pair?" Hermione asked a bit smugly.
Ron shrugged, "To tell the truth, Hermione, I'm not sure. I usually end up getting an old pair of Charlie's or Bill's. They're not in the best of shape but they're better than my old ones."
"Wouldn't it nice to be able to own your very own set of them, not hand-me-downs? Hermione with a smile.
"Well, yeah, sure but I never have enough," Ron said, with a bit of a frown.
"If you'd set aside some now, when you really need it, it would still be available," Hermione explained. "If nothing else, you'd have money set aside for Hogsmeade trips." She could see the wheels turning and she could tell he was slowly getting there, but not quite there yet.
"In the Muggle world we have banks similar to Gringott's, though of course they're not run by Goblins. The thing is my parents made me get a savings account and any time I got a little money, I'd keep a little but most I'd put in the account. By the time I came to Hogwarts I had a nice tidy sum built up, when converted it came to about 125 Galleons," she said a bit smugly.
"Blimey, Hermione! 125 Galleons, that's quite a lot of money, you could get a really decent broom with that much," Ron said in surprise.
"Well, yes, though I'd never buy a broom, but I have gotten some really great books, and the thing is any time I get any money, I still do the same thing," she said, hopefully.
"You still have a muggle account?" Ron asked in surprise.
"No, I now have a small vault a Gringott's, it saves on the exchange rate some," she said, slightly concerned, not knowing how Ron would react to her having an account at Gringott's.
"You have an account at Gringott's?" he asked, staring at her in shock.
Hermione just blushed a little, waiting to see if he would say or do anything else.
Instead of the expected blow up or some sort of biting remark, Ron nodded his head and said, "Thanks Hermione, I'll think about the account thing but for now, maybe I'll let my Mum keep some of it for me."
Hermione was gobsmacked, never did she think it'd be that easy to convince Ron to save some of his winnings.
XX HP + GW XX
Harry saw Ginny coming around the house and into the back garden, he could feel her happiness and it made him smile. Just feeling how happy she was a lot of the time, made him feel better and he knew he had the Bond to thank for it.
"So where is this butterbeer?" she asked coyly.
"Right over here," he sent, holding up his bottle.
"Why did Dad give it to you?" she asked as she sat down next to him.
Harry shrugged, "He said it was one of the Weasley family traditions when the father gave the "talk" to his sons he would give them their first butterbeer."
"I'm going to complain to Mum," Ginny said with a pout. "All I got was a lecture on the proper way to handle a boy till you have met the one you're going to marry. No fun stuff like butterbeer was involved. The only thing discussed was drinking your potion on time."
"Potion? What potion?" Harry asked innocently.
"Really, Harry, what did you and Dad talk about?" Ginny asked as she rolled her eyes.
Harry considered her question carefully, finally coming to the conclusion that discussing things in generalities couldn't hurt, after all they had done so about the talk she had gotten from her mother.
"Mainly we talked about the love side of things. He asked me if I knew the basics and gave me a book to read, saying it would tell me things better than he could on what he termed the mechanics of sex," he said earnestly.
"We talked about treating your wife right and about having a good relationship making things go a lot easier for both parties, well really, you and me. He also said it's important to learn when to say the right thing and when it's better to say nothing at all," Harry said with a sly grin.
Ginny couldn't help herself, "I hope you can learn that skill, I'm not sure most men are able," she sent with a smirk.
"Hey! As a member of the male sex, I think I should take exception to that," and then with his own smirk he added, though this may be one of those times when it's better to say nothing at all."
Ginny's eyes widened in shock but Harry silenced her by saying, "Aren't we going to drink this butterbeer?"
Ginny smiled at him and couldn't help but chuckle, "Very sly there, Harry, very sly."
Harry just smiled back and took a sip of butterbeer in front of her.
"Hey! What happened to ladies first?" Ginny asked, a little indignantly.
"Well you were still talking and my throat was getting a bit parched from all this discussing things so I figured I hurry things along by getting your attention the best way I could," Harry sent, smiling at her the whole time. He then offered her the bottle, "I'm pretty sure you're going to love it."
Ginny smiled at him as she brought the bottle to her lips and took a small taste. "Merlin's beard, Harry! This stuff is incredible. Thank you so much for sharing it with me."
"You're very welcome, Ginny. I knew you'd love it and just had to share some with you."
Ginny offered the bottle back to Harry and they took turns taking sips until the bottle was empty.
"Thank you again Harry, that was a really nice treat and I'm so glad that you shared it with me."
"Ginny, you're my Bond-Mate, how could I not share it with you?" he sent a bit perplexed.
Ginny giggled, causing Harry to look at her like she'd gone completely barmy.
"I guess growing up with six siblings you kind of get use to people trying to keep stuff for themselves. Oh, of course we shared plenty, but something like butterbeer that is such a treat, one would tend to try to keep it from the others, kind of like some really good Honeyduke's chocolate. Chocolate frogs and the normal stuff we'd share all the time, but every once in a while, Aunt Muriel would give me some of their best dark chocolate and that I always hide and keep for myself."
Harry eyed her intently, but with a smile on his face, "Sooooo, do you have any of that special dark chocolate still stashed away?" he asked, the laughter dancing in his eyes.
Ginny looked at him in surprise, ready to scold him, but then she saw the look on his face and burst out laughing. "No, unfortunately I'm out right now, but please know that if I had any, I'd definitely share it with you." She then leaned over and gave him a sweet little kiss.
Harry got a serious look on his face, and frowned a little.
"What is it, Harry?" Ginny asked, growing concerned with his darkening mood.
"I'm a blithering idiot, Ginny, I really am," Harry said disparagingly.
"What's wrong and why are you an idiot. . ." and then before she could stop herself added, "I mean besides the normal stuff you're an idiot about?"
Harry glanced at her, frowning, but then after a moment, he gave a chuckle and a shake of his head, before he began to laugh outright.
"Merlin, Ginny. I don't know what I'd do without you. You are without a doubt the best thing that has ever happened to me," he said with a smile as he reached over and pulled her into a huge hug. Not quite as bone breaking as Molly's but Ginny definitely knew she was being hugged.
"So, are you going to tell me why you are a blithering idiot?" she gently chided.
"I'll tell you later, right now I need to speak to Dad. You coming?" Harry said, as he stood and extended his hand to her.
Ginny could feel a sense of smugness from Harry, but he was also very happy about something too. "What are you up to?" she asked with a questioning smile.
"You'll find out soon enough, okay?" Harry asked, wanting to keep it a secret, but also not wanting to upset Ginny.
"All right, Harry. I'll let it go for now, but if you're pranking me you'll regret it for the rest of your life."
XX HP + GW XX
Harry and Ginny returned inside and as they entered the kitchenMinerva and Molly stopped speaking and looked at the young couple.
To Harry they looked like they had been caught talking about something that they didn't want them to know about. "What's up with Aunt Minnie and your Mum?" he asked Ginny.
"Aunt Minnie?" asked an amused Ginny.
"Well the way everyone talks about your Aunt Muriel, I thought Aunt Minerva sounded too formal, like your Aunt. So I thought Aunt Minnie would be nicer. What do you think?" Harry asked.
Ginny giggled, "I love it, though I wonder how she'll take it?"
"Only one way to find out," Harry replied with a grin. "Do you want to do the honours?"
Ginny smiled back, "No, it's your idea and I think you should be the one to use it first."
Harry shrugged as they went over to the table and sat down, "Hi Aunt Minnie," he said with a grin.
Harry and Ginny laughed at the reaction that Minerva gave, she had been sipping on her tea and almost choked on it, looking quite surprised. "Aunt Minnie?" she said, sputtering slightly.
Molly was also surprised, but couldn't help but chuckle too at Minerva's reaction.
"Why the Aunt Minnie?" Minerva asked, bewilderedly.
"Well, it seems less formal and friendlier," Harry replied, still grinning at her.
After a moment, Minerva smiled, "I can see that and I find nothing wrong with it either. If you and Ginny wish to call me Aunt Minnie, I have nothing against it."
"Thanks, Aunt Minnie," Harry said, getting up and giving her a hug,
"Ginny, why don't we go up to our room and let them get back to whatever they were talking about, before we interrupted?" Harry sent, feeling happy about Minerva's acceptance of the new nickname.
"Okay with me," Ginny replied, feeling just as happy as Harry.
"We'll see you later," Ginny said, taking Harry's hand and together they let up the stairs.
Minerva couldn't help but chuckle again, "Godric, Aunt Minnie! What next?"
"You took that very well," Molly commented.
"Did you see the look on Harry's face when I said I accepted it?" Minerva asked. "If I have to be Aunt Minnie, so be it, as long as it makes him happy. I think he's had very little to be happy about in his life so if I can change it by accepting his wanting to call be Aunt Minnie, it's a small price to pay."
"You're a good woman, Minerva. One with a huge heart and I know that Harry can feel that. I am so happy that you're involved with Harry, you can give him some things that we never could, and I'm not talking about things that you can buy for him," Molly said, a smile on her face.
"Okay, enough of that, let's get back to talking about Harry's birthday, we still have a lot to plan for, if we're going to make this really special for him," Minerva said, feeling a bit embarrassed.
XX HP + GW XX
Ron and Hermione can out of the parlour, Ron still holding onto Scabbers, who he had found hiding under the couch.
"Let me take Scabbers back up and put him in his cage," Ron said, a bit embarrassed by his useless pet. "I just don't understand how he keeps getting out of his cage?
Hermione looked perplexed, "Doesn't the cage have some kind of catch on it?"
"Yeah, but it doesn't seem to be a huge deterrent, he seems to get out anyway," Ron replied.
Hermione looked at Scabbers closely, he seemed to be sound asleep as Ron was carrying him up the stairs. "Does he do anything at all? she asked, shaking her head.
"Not that I know of," Ron replied as they entered his room. He then went over to the cage that stood on a small table, placed his rat inside, closed and latched the cage.
Hermione took a good look at the catch, wondering if it was worn or didn't close right, but as far as she could tell, it looked quite secure. "Strange," she muttered to herself.
Ron flopped down on his bed, so Hermione sat on the other one. Ron smiled, "Just think, Hermione, I'm going to have my picture in the paper, isn't it wonderful?"
"I think it's great, Ron. Your paper really was very good and you deserve some recognition for it," she said with a smile. "Though I bet the teachers will expect more out of you now that you've shown you can do such a good job writing an essay."
Ron got a horrified look on his face, "Oh Godric, Hermione. Why did I ever let you talk me into writing that essay?"
"It was easy, Ron, as soon as you heard 100 Galleons you were very eager to write the essay," Hermione said, shaking her head, as she rose.
"Where are you going?" Ron asked, rising up on one elbow.
"I'm going to go down ans spend a little time with McGonagall. Want to come?" she asked sweetly.
"Ah, no, that's okay," Ron said, laying back down. "I think I'll just get a little rest for now."
"Suit yourself," Hermione said smugly, knowing that as soon as she mentioned McGonagall that he would decline. "See ya."
XX HP + GW XX
Molly and Minerva were talking about the plans for Harry's birthday when Hermione came and joined them.
"Hi, Molly, Professor McGonagall, mind if I join you?" she asked with a smile.
"Not at all, as long as you promise not to tell Harry what we're planning," Molly said, with a smile.
"Why, what's up?" Hermione asked curiously.
"We're planning a big party for Harry's birthday and Ginny told us how he's never celebrated one before, well since his parents died. I was at his first birthday party that Lily and James threw for him," Minerva said a bit sadly.
Hermione was shocked, never having considered how tough Harry's life had really been. She had heard him make some comments about not liking it at his relatives, but this was the first time she had heard about not ever having celebrated his birthday.
"What can I do to help?" she asked.
Molly looked thoughtful for a moment, "Well, it would be helpful to have someone help Ginny keep Harry occupied the day before his birthday, so that we can do some of the things we need to get done without him being curious about what we're doing. Can you help with that?"
"Yeah, I'll think of a good reason to keep him occupied. The hard part will be coordinating with Ginny. It's like they stuck to each other with a permanent sticking charm," Hermione said with a chuckle.
"Yes, that will be a challenge but if I can, I'll try to tip Ginny off to speak with you," Molly said, sympathetically.
Minerva looked thoughtful for a moment, "Maybe we can organize a trip to Diagon Alley. Ginny wants to get Harry a gift so that would be an opportunity to get you two together without too much suspicion."
"Brilliant, Professor," Hermione said with a smile.
"Hermione, since we are not at school and I am one of Harry's guardians and will be spending a lot more time here than in the past, I think we can dispense with the Professor thing while we are not at school. Can you do that?" she asked.
"Okay, but what shall I call you? Does Harry call you something special?" Hermione asked, looking perplexed.
Molly chuckled while Minerva rolled her eyes.
"What?" asked Hermione, seeing the looks of merriment in the two older witch's eyes.
Taking a deep breath, Minerva said "Well, Harry and Ginny have decided to call me. . . Aunt Minnie."
Minerva and Molly almost burst out laughing at the look that appeared on Hermione's face, never before seeing such a shocked and embarrassed look on her before.
"Aunt Minnie?" Hermione squeaked.
Closing her eyes and with a sigh of acceptance, "Yes, Aunt Minnie."
Hermione's face got a screwed up expression on it, like she had tasted something very sour. "Is it okay if I use Aunt Minerva instead?" she asked uncertainly.
Minerva nodded, "That will be fine."
Hermione breathed a sigh of relief, while even calling Professor McGonagall, Aunt Minerva was a bit of a stretch or her comfort zone, she knew she'd never be able to call her Aunt Minnie.
It was then that the Twins made their presence know, smiling mischievously, they said "Aunt Minnie!" with a certain devilish glee.
Molly looked at them horrified, wondering what they would do with that information, but to her surprise, and everyone else's they sat down and smiled at the Professor.
"We like it," George said with a wink at Minerva.
"Yeah, away from school and with your hair down, you're actually a really cool person to be around," added Fred.
They quickly downed the drinks they had grabbed and rising Fred said "Well, see ya, Aunt Minnie," and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek.
George was next in line, "Time to get back to painting the chicken coop, see ya later Aunt Minnie" he said, also giving her a kiss on the cheek.
The three women sat stunned as they watched Fred and George as they left.
"Well that was quite unusual," Minerva said.
"Yes," agreed Molly, "I shudder to think what they'll do next.
Hermione just looked very thoughtful, she was seeing a different side to the Twins and she was totally perplexed, not knowing if it was a ruse of I they were serious. To her, they seemed serious, but she still had a hard time in figuring them out, so she wasn't quite convinced as of yet.
XX HP + GW XX
Arthur had gone back out to his shed after checking in with Molly, after his talk with Harry. He was still feeling quite happy about Harry's calling him Dad, and though he knew he would never replace James, the fact that Harry was accepting him in the role of a father figure, was a huge thing to him.
He turned on the wireless and listened to the WWN as he puttered with some of the projects he had going. He had just about gotten his toaster to work by magic, right now it either didn't do anything or burnt everything to a rather impressive approximation of charcoal, with nothing in between.
He was also quite pleased about Ron's entry into the essay contest, and hoped it would be an incentive to do better in his schooling. Of all his sons, he worried about Ron the most.
Ron hadn't figured out who he was yet, taking longer than any of his brothers in doing so. His only real passion was Quidditch, but didn't even pursue it enough if he ever thought about playing it professionally. No, right now Ron seemed to be drifting along without any clear direction in which he wanted to go.
Not that there wasn't still time, but unless his attitude changed, things were only going to get tougher down the road.
Truth be told, it was one of the reasons that he liked Hermione Granger so much, she seemed to be a good influence on Ron, trying to get him to apply himself more. To some she may have seemed bossy but in many respects she reminded him of a much younger Molly. Though he would never admit that to anyone.
Not so much in her drive for academic perfection, which was something that Molly hadn't really possessed, though she did try her hardest in everything she did. No it was that quality to try to make others try their hardest too. A trait that had served them well with their other children, instilling in Bill, Charlie, Percy and yes, even the Twins to strive for excellence in whatever they did.
Though things weren't perfect, with Percy's drive to excel at the Ministry at the cost of everything else and he kind of wished the Twins had picked a field other than pranking and humour, he knew that they'd probably succeed in turning that into something they could make a living at.
Just then the wireless began to play the theme from the Sorcerer's Apprentice, making him smile. It proved that a Wizard with enough drive and creativity could make his mark not only in the Wizarding World, but the muggle one as well, Walt Disney was a perfect example. He was known world over for the magic he had spun making people happy.
XX HP + GW XX
It was late in the afternoon when the cabal in the kitchen finished their planning session and Molly invited Minerva to stay for dinner. After a moments hesitation, she graciously accepted, wanting to spend a little more time watching Harry and Ginny interacting.
Not being able to set aside her academic side all together, she had been documenting the progression of their bonding, without reporting any of their personal information. She and Poppy thought that it was a rare chance to expand the knowledge base on Bondings, something that was severely lacking at the moment.
As everyone gather in the kitchen, it was interesting to watch the reactions of the children as they sat down for dinner. Almost everyone laughed as the Twins came in, kissed Minerva on the cheek and called her Aunt Minnie.
Ron's was the most comical reaction, paling first then blushing when she greeted him, finally sitting down as far from her as possible and remain at the same table. Looking like he'd rather disappear than remain in the same room as her.
Harry and Ginny had no problem at all in seeing her there, in fact they looked quite pleased, sitting down next to her, Ginny closest tonight and Harry next to Ginny.
Percy was, well Percy, very formal, you'd have thought it was some high ranking Ministry function that he was attending, the way he acted.
It was during dinner that Minerva had the opportunity to whisper to Ginny about the plan to distract Harry the day before his birthday and though Harry felt the happiness radiating off of her, she refused coyly, to tell him what the reason was.
Harry took it rather stoically, but figured that he must have been the topic of conversation between them. He couldn't really explain why, but he couldn't shake it so he just accepted it and knew he'd find out sooner or later.
One thing he had learned at the Dursley's was patience. Once you've been subject to being locked in a cupboard under the stairs for long periods of time, you learned to accept that what you couldn't change and patience by not being allowed out.
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It was later that evening when everyone was preparing to go to bed that Hermione was shocked to see Harry slip out of his bedroom and enter Ginny's, closing and locking the door behind him.
She stood there in disbelief for several moments while the reality of the situation sunk in and she her mind was processing things furiously as she tried to comprehend the implications.
Her first though was what would happen if they got caught, but something didn't seem right about that. If they were sneaking around, wouldn't they have waited till the house was quiet before Harry snuck into Ginny's room. That and as she thought about it, Harry didn't seem to be sneaking, he had just casually walked across the hall from his room to Ginny's as if it were a common occurrence.
Something just didn't add up for Hermione, Harry had just seemed too calm and casual for it to be anything else but a set routine. She couldn't come up with any other reason that it had to do something with the Bond that Ron had spoken of.
Now her curiosity was really kicking into high gear, she wanted answers, no correction, she needed answers and she wondered who she could ask discreetly and hope to get the truth.
She ruled out Molly and Arthur, she just didn't feel comfortable enough with them to risk it. She knew Ron had already given her all the information that he had and he seemed clueless about the sleeping arrangements.
She couldn't see herself ever going to Percy, as rigid as she was, she was as floppy as a wet noodle compared to Percy.
That left the Twins and she smiled at the thought. Though they had a really wild side, they also showed flashes of responsibility that she found a bit out of character, at least from what she had known. Being here for so long she had found out that it wasn't out of character, just something they didn't express a lot.
Yes, tomorrow she would see if she couldn't speak to the Twins in private. She knew she might be taking her life into her own hands, but sometimes finding out the truth could be a bit dangerous.
XX HP + GW X
A/N: Harry's birthday approaches, and the games afoot. Can Ginny keep it a secret or will she break down and spill her guts?
Will Hermione find out about the "Special" sleeping arrangements or will it remain a mystery?
Will little boy blue find his sheep. Or will the big bad wolf get there first?
As always, please review.
And for all you people out there who have favoured the story and not left a review, well I'm gonna start naming names. Just thought you'd like to know.